Book 2011 sample

A Young Person’s Guide to

BERLIN

Bears, Beers & Bikes

CTR July Master Final.indd 1-2 7/29/11 10:27 PM

First published in July 2011 by City Travel Review, Inc. All words and photos that appear in this guide are property of the respective writers and photographers. Copyright © 2011

Cover Illustration and Design Jenny Hyndman

Layout EditorsAimee StantonJenni MyungJoe Hawkins

EditorsJaimielee RendallMaddy AndrewsMarie Burrows Rachel Cohen

Photography EditorJenni Myung

Special Thanks to Lutz, Alex, Marcus, Matt, Caroline, Sophie, Nina and Jeremy in Edinburgh.

Contents

Introduction and History 05

09

19

27

35

75

93

115

133

143

165

Practical Information

Accomodation

Tours

Museums, Memorials and Sights

Art and Culture

Food and Drink

Shopping

Outdoors

Nightlife

Meet the Team


5 Bears, Beers and Bikes A Young Persons Guide to Berlin 6

The official capital of cool (or should that be unofficial?), Berlin is where global hipsters and history addicts rub shoulders. Whatever your taste, interests or financial budget, this quirky, vibrant and effervescent city blends the old and the new, luring you in and never letting go.

Each of the city’s distinct neighbour-hoods has its own charm and character. Mitte is the tourist hot-spot with visitors flocking to Museum Island, the Branden-burg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie, the mecca for every Cold War thriller aficionado. And if you have a penchant for the finer things in life, visit Charlot-tenburg Palace, Berlin’s majestic Prus-sian palace just within city limits. The young and the restless congregate in Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg, where effortlessly hip bars and clubs seem to be open 24 hours a day.

From late night to the wee hours, you’re sure to find parties you won’t remember but will never forget.

Berlin is a powerful magnet for fashion, art and music and it is not hard to see why. This is a city almost overflowing with creativity. From guerilla fashion shows hosted in the U-Bahn stations to the pop-up nightclubs in the famous Pergamon Museum or East Side Gallery, Berlin is the ultimate manifestation of culture.

Loathe to forgetting its past but keen on looking towards the future, Berlin strikes a balance between self-reflection and optimism for a brighter tomorrow. This is a place where the skyline changes more often than the unpredictable weather. Today, the city has evolved into a lightning-paced metropolis where you won’t ever get bored or run out of things to see, do and drink.

Introduction The extensive public transport network makes getting around both simple and for the most part stress free. With so much to see and do, accidentally getting off at the wrong U-Bahn stop is even a blessing in disguise as you might stumble across the city’s hidden gems.

It is hardly a surprise then, when speak-ing about the constantly changing nature of Germany’s capital, former French culture minister Jack Lang once said: “Paris is always Paris and Berlin is never Berlin!”

In our comprehensive guide of Berlin – Bears, Beers and Bikes – we’ve given

you the low down of the city’s icons, museums, and historical must-sees. We’ve shopped till we dropped so you wouldn’t burn a hole through your wallet. We’ve gone ahead and had pre-drinks at all the hip bars so you would know how to party like a Berliner. And we’ve even ventured beyond the city limits to sunbathe in the beautiful lakes and forests – mostly for ourselves, but you will benefit from our reports, too! Either way, this is how we see Berlin, in the eyes of a young and curious student, so we can only hope you too will see the absolute brilliance of Berlin!

City Travel Review Team, July 2011


A Young Persons Guide to Berlin 8

These were controlled by the USSR, Britain, the USA and France. Tensions quickly emerged between the Western Allies and the Soviets regarding the management of the German economy. These disagreements came to a head in June 1948, when the Allies introduced a new currency – the Deutschmark. Viewing this as a breach of the Pots-dam Agreement, which stipulated that Germany be treated as one economic zone, the Soviets responded by adopt-ing the Ostmark. Separation between the two states became official in 1949. The Western Zones formed the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) with Bonn as its capital, and the East became the Ger-man Democratic Republic (GDR), whose capital was East Berlin.

The West flourished under the leader-ship of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, with the progressive economic policies of Ludwig Erhard paving the way for the Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) of the 1950s and 60s. Meanwhile, the East was crippled by oppressive Com-munist rule. The economy was stagnant and the people lived under constant surveillance by the Ministry for State Se-curity (Staatsicherheitspolizei or Stasi).

The low quality of life drove many East Berliners to seek refuge in the West.

To halt the exodus, the East erected the infamous Berlin Wall.A period of left-wing rebellion and protest erupted in 1968, led mainly by university students and the Rote Armee Faktion (Red Army Faction). Although things had settled down by 1970, some lasting changes were achieved: universi-ties were modernised, the student body was politicised and the Green Party was founded.

By the 1980s, change was in the air, but what came next surprised the world. The Wende (the fall of communism) was gradual, eventually climaxing in the collapse of the Berlin Wall on 9th No-vember 1989. Berlin became a separate city-state; however, economic reform took place in the mid-1990s which led to the signing of the Unification Treaty. In 1991, it was decided that Berlin would once again become the capital and home to the German government.

A stroll in Berlin feels like a walk through history. Its tumultuous past and varied cultural tapestry has made Berlin the buzzing capital you are visiting today.

(S.Gleeson and J.Rendall)

Founded in the 13th century, Berlin is rich in history. Not without its problems, this city has experienced many historical movements that have not only formed Berlin but the rest of the world.

Berlin grew from the nearby cities of Berlin and Cölln, which expanded rapidly throughout the Middle Ages. In 1709 King Friedrich I declared the unifi-cation of the five towns of Berlin, Cölln, Friedrichswerder, Dorotheenstadt, and Friedrichstadt to form the capital and royal residence of Berlin.

From 1740, Berlin developed into a cen-tre of the Enlightenment, establishing it-self at the forefront of European culture, a reputation it still enjoys today. Under the rule of Friedrich the Great, some of Berlin’s most well-known monuments were constructed. These include St Hed-wig’s Cathedral, Prinz-Heinrich-Palais (now Humboldt University) and The Opera Palace. In 1861, the city expanded further with the incorporation of the suburbs Wedding, Gesundbrunnen, Moabit, Chalottenburg, Schöneberg and Rixdorf. In 1871 Berlin was named as capital of the German Reich, becoming the empire’s political, economic, and scientific hub.

The 20th century saw the outbreak of the First World War, and Germany’s defeat meant the city found it increas-ingly difficult to feed its people, leading to massive strikes. Kaiser Wilhelm II was eventually ousted, leading to the found-ing of the Weimar Republic in 1918. This period promised to bring new freedoms and liberties, but was plagued by politi-cal and economic instability.

Unfortunately, this era of uncertainty paved the way for Hitler and the Nazi Party. The German people had had enough of poverty and squalor and craved stability. Hitler rose through the ranks of politics at an incredible pace. Appointed Chancellor in 1933, he fused the offices of President and Chancellor, gaining absolute power and becoming Führer of the Third Reich. Home to the Headquarters of the Nazi Party, Berlin was the focal point of Allied attacks on Germany, which resulted in much of the city being destroyed. The wide-spread reconstruction shaped the landscape of the city we recognise today.

After the War, Berlin, along with the rest of Germany, was divided into four occupation zones.

Berlin: A Brief History


practical information


11 Bears, Beers and Bikes A Young Person’s Guide to Berlin 12A Young Person’s Guide to Berlin 12

practical information

Berlin is a very big city, but luckily for tourists there is an excellent and extensive public transport network under the BVG Company. This extends throughout the whole city, and also out to many prime spots outside city limits.

Berlin’s transport is divided into three sections, A, B and C, and ticket prices can vary depending on which section you are travelling to. On the BVG website, you will find a journey planner, which can be used in English.

The public transport system offers four means of travelling: U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Tram and Bus:

Getting around in Berlin

This underground train system (much like the London Underground, the Paris Métro and the New York Subway), operates mostly underground, with a few routes which run over ground too. The service runs frequently and you’re sure to reach your desti-nation quickly as the trains are fast and efficient. On Friday and Saturday nights there is a service running along all lines except the U4 and U55. This service runs from 12:30am - 5:30am Fri/Sat and Sat/Sun and until 7am prior to public holidays.

The tram system only operates in East Berlin as the trams in the west were privatised and turned into the metro

bus that you see today. Its lines cover most of the ar-eas in the east which the S and U-Bahn don’t reach. It also links destinations where the closest train or underground station is not within comfortable walking distance.

In the unlikely event that you ever want to leave Berlin, there are two airports which are close-by, Tegel, which is in North-West Berlin and Shönefeld, which is south-east. Both are easily accessible by S and U-bahn and then a connecting bus service – which are well signposted. There is also a train service which runs from Ostkreuz train station, the S9, to Flughafen Berlin-Shönefeld.

Tegel is within zone B, so if you’ve bought a season ticket for zones AB then it’ll be included. However, Shönefeld is within zone C, so you will need to buy an addi-tional ticket.

In 2012, there will be a new airport opening: the Berlin Brandenburg Airport. This will mean that Tegel will most likely close, with all air traffic being directed to the new merger of Shönefeld. Once open, there will be more airport connections made from the airport, making it easier for travellers to get to the centre.

Similar to the U-Bahn, however this system operates mostly over ground, with a few lines around Potsdamer Platz

going underground. This is like a regular short distance rail way system. The S-bahn travels quickly between stations, so even if on the map your destination looks far away, you’ll arrive reasonably fast. On Friday and Saturday nights there is a service running along all

lines except the S45 and S85. This service runs from 12:30am - 5:30am Fri/Sat and Sat/Sun and until 7am

prior to public holidays.

The bus network runs everywhere, including places the

Trams, S and U-bahn don’t reach. It is the most extensive network in the city. The bus service runs to the airports, including the X9 to Tegel, departing from stations including Kurt-Schumacher-Platz (U6), Jakob-Kaiser-Platz and Jungfernheide (U7), and the X7 to Shönefeld, which departs from Rudow (U7).

U-bahn

Tram

Plane

S-bahn

Bus


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